Arizona Coyotes Reassign Milos Kelemen
Jan 26: After making his NHL debut, Kelemen is on his way back to the minor leagues. He played just over ten minutes, recorded three hits and generated one shot on goal.
Jan 24: Last spring, the Arizona Coyotes reached an agreement with a young, undrafted forward who had found success all over Europe. Milos Kelemen signed a two-year, entry-level contract and came over to North America for his first taste of AHL action.
Now, Kelemen has been recalled to the NHL, after 39 relatively strong games with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Part of the historic Slovakian Olympic team that earned their first hockey medal last year, the 23-year-old Kelemen has 20 points in 39 games for the Roadrunners this season. The Coyotes opened some room by sending Michael Carcone back to the minors yesterday, though Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse are also expected to return soon from injury.
It remains to be seen whether Kelemen will actually get into a game, but he represents another chance that the Coyotes front office is willing to take as they search everywhere for young assets. Eventually, the odds are good that they will find a hidden gem to add to their stable of high draft picks.
New York Rangers Extend Ben Harpur
The New York Rangers have reached an agreement with depth defenseman Ben Harpur on a two-year extension, which will carry an average annual value of $787.5K, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.
Harpur, 28, has rarely ever seen regular minutes in the NHL, but seems to have found a bit of a home in New York. The big, 6’6″ defenseman has now played in 18 games this season, all of them since the middle of December.
Signed to a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason, this contract is a very nice reward for the depth defender, who lands some security and stability. A veteran of 174 NHL games, he’s now locked into a seventh or eighth-defenseman role on a good team and will make some good money in the process.
For the Rangers, this doesn’t really move the needle. His cap hit can be entirely buried in the minor leagues if necessary, and Harpur isn’t going to be playing big minutes or providing many points. In his 18 appearances this year he has averaged just over 13 minutes a night, while putting up three points – including just his second NHL goal.
Still, if they like him as an organizational piece, there’s no reason why not to sign a contract like this to lock him up. The deal is low-risk low-reward but keeps a player in the picture that the coaching staff is comfortable icing when needed.
Vancouver Canucks Extend Andrei Kuzmenko
The Vancouver Canucks have worked through some negotiations quite quickly, reaching an agreement with pending free agent Andrei Kuzmenko. The two-year contract extension will carry an average annual value of $5.5MM, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Friedman adds that there will be a 12-team no-trade clause included in the deal, which starts next season.
There are two ways to look at a deal like this. It brings back a player who has found incredible success in his first year, scoring 21 goals and 43 points in 47 games. The $5.5MM cap hit is a reasonable amount for the player that Kuzmenko has been this year, and keeps him from walking in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
The Canucks can now staple him to the wing of Elias Pettersson and have the makings of a legitimate top line through 2024-25.
On the other hand, the rest of the Vancouver roster doesn’t appear to be ready to compete during that span. Even with the “major surgery” that president Jim Rutherford suggested, which looks more and more like the exit of captain Bo Horvat, it’s hard to see the Canucks contending next season or the year after.
The pipeline isn’t filled with elite talent, the bad contracts aren’t coming off the books, and right now, they have a club good enough for 27th in the league.
Trading Kuzmenko at the deadline, then, appeared to be a better option. Given his bargain-basement salary thanks to a one-year entry-level contract, Kuzmenko could have been a target for any contender in the league. The return would have helped the prospect pool and potentially sped up a rebuild that seems inevitable, even if the front office won’t admit it.
That said, a two-year deal doesn’t necessarily mean Kuzmenko won’t be traded. It just means he won’t be traded right now. He’ll only be 29 when the deal is set to expire and if the Canucks are still not good, will still likely fetch a strong return on the trade market.
Given Rutherford’s belief that the team can be competitive again in under three years, this deal makes a lot of sense. It gives them another shot with a new head coach, and if it still doesn’t work, they can move on without much issue.
Perhaps the surprise is that Kuzmenko would agree to a two-year deal at all. After all, his performance this season would likely warrant a longer commitment if he wanted it. But this way, he can cash in for the next two years and potentially hit the market as an under-30 winger when the salary cap goes up. If he can keep producing, it might end up a savvy move for the undrafted Russian, who will be set up for a massive deal down the road.
Shayne Gostisbehere Out 4-6 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
In just about the worst timing possible, Shayne Gostisbehere is expected to miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. The Arizona Coyotes’ defenseman suffered the injury on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, when he played just 19:20, only the tenth time all season he was under the 20-minute mark.
Bad timing not because the Coyotes are playing for a playoff spot, but because he is a leading candidate to be moved at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old defenseman is in the last season of a six-year, $27MM deal and has racked up 29 points in 48 games so far. With the Coyotes willing to retain some salary, Gostisbehere could have been an interesting pickup for several contenders looking to add a bit of offensive punch to the back end.
An injury now means could have already played his final game with the Coyotes. If that’s the case, it has been an extremely productive period for the third-round pick, even though the team hasn’t experienced much success in the standings.
In the summer of 2021, the Philadelphia Flyers sent Gostisbehere to the desert along with a second and a seventh-round pick for nothing more than cap relief. They received future considerations in return, while Arizona assumed the entirety of Gostisbehere’s contract.
From the moment he arrived in Arizona, he’s been productive, scoring 13 goals and 51 points last season. Gostisbehere ranks 17th in scoring among defensemen across the entire league over the last two seasons, ahead of names like Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Seth Jones, and Dougie Hamilton.
An injury like this will only hurt his value heading into the deadline, reducing whatever return the Coyotes were able to get. Hopefully, for Arizona, he’ll be able to return and play at least one game before March 3rd, but if he can’t, a buyer will be taking a chance that Gostisbehere’s game isn’t affected down the stretch.
Calgary Flames Recall Dennis Gilbert
With Chris Tanev out for at least the next couple of games, the Calgary Flames have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues.
It’s a nice reward for Gilbert, who was recently handed a two-game suspension by the AHL for an illegal check to the head. He already served the ban, but it wouldn’t have stopped him from being recalled to the NHL anyway.
Now, he’ll join the Flames ahead of their match against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the first half of a back-to-back situation. Calgary is due to play in Seattle tomorrow, before heading into the All-Star break.
Gilbert has played in eight games so far, averaging just over ten minutes a game. That comes along with four fighting majors, a role he’ll likely step right back into for the Flames during this stretch.
Alexandre Carrier Out 4-6 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Nashville Predators have made a roster move, recalling Kevin Gravel from the Milwaukee Admirals. He arrives following news that Alexandre Carrier will miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury.
The diminutive Carrier, who never seems to back down from a challenge, decided to take on the 6’7″ Logan Stanley earlier this week, after the Winnipeg Jets defenseman delivered a hard hit on Cody Glass. Unfortunately, it resulted in an injury, one that will keep him out for at least a month.
While he hasn’t been playing quite as much as he did last season, Carrier is still an important part of the Predators group. Through 40 games he has eight points and is averaging a little over 18 minutes a night. Call it a sophomore slump, perhaps, but losing a huge chunk of the season right in the middle of the year certainly won’t help Carrier get back on track.
The Predators can’t really sit around and wait, either. The club has climbed back into the Central Division playoff race and could potentially consider themselves buyers ahead of the upcoming trade deadline. Losing a key defender for the next month could drastically affect that position, even if the Predators do have a number of veteran options who can carry the load.
Gravel, 30, isn’t really that. The big left-shot defenseman is a fringe NHL player at best, suiting up 113 times over parts of six seasons. Four of those appearances have come this year. He’ll likely see some playing time, but don’t be surprised to see the Predators shuffle some things around to try and find the perfect fit in Carrier’s absence.
Ottawa Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese
The Ottawa Senators lost Cam Talbot partway through last night’s game, and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the veteran netminder will be out at least through the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only goaltender in the Senators organization dealing with an injury.
Both Antoine Bibeau and Mads Sogaard are hurt, meaning the only recall option was Kevin Mandolese. Garrioch reports that Anton Forsberg is expected to make both starts of the upcoming back-to-back in Toronto and Ottawa.
Mandolese, 22, hasn’t appeared in the NHL yet, and is barely even holding onto an AHL spot. Through 12 games with the Belleville Senators, he has posted an .886 save percentage. That performance has earned him some extra time in the ECHL, where he has a .927 in six games.
In short, he’s not who the Senators need in the crease right now as they continue to try and compete in the Atlantic Division. Forsberg will have to try and take down the Maple Leafs and Canadiens on his own, and the club will have to hope that Talbot can return soon after the break.
Cam Talbot Suffers A Lower-Body Injury
It has been a tough season on the injury front for the Senators who have had several key players banged up at times. They lost another key piece on Wednesday night as the team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Cam Talbot sustained a lower-body injury against the Islanders. He exited the game in the second period and did not return.
Ottawa acquired the 35-year-old in an effort to build a quality tandem between the pipes with Anton Forsberg. However, things haven’t gone according to plan as the team entered play tonight a little below league average in goals allowed with both netminders taking a step back relative to their play from a year ago. Talbot had just a .903 SV% heading into Wednesday’s contest, the second-lowest of his career while Forsberg’s SV% has dipped 18 points from a year ago. Between that and a surprising lack of improvement offensively, the Sens are battling to avoid being last in the Atlantic Division.
Notably, it’s a contract year for Talbot who is set to hit the open market this summer. Suffering a second injury (he missed nine games with a rib issue earlier this season) on top of him struggling a bit more certainly isn’t helping his market as he looks to get a raise on his $3.67MM AAV. While it’s unknown how long he’ll be out at this point, an extended absence could take a potential trade deadline swap off the table as well.
It’s also worth mentioning that Mads Sogaard, Ottawa’s top goalie prospect with AHL Belleville, is injured at the moment and hasn’t played in the last week and a half. That means their recall options will be veteran Antoine Bibeau or Kevin Mandolese who has split the last two seasons between the AHL and ECHL and is still looking for his first NHL appearance despite three recalls already in 2022-23.
Avalanche And Sharks Complete Four-Player Trade
Ryan Merkley‘s trade request has been granted as the Sharks have traded the defenseman to the Avalanche along with winger Matt Nieto in exchange for winger Martin Kaut and defenseman/winger Jacob MacDonald.
Merkley was a first-round pick by San Jose back in 2018 (21st overall) and showed plenty of offensive upside during his junior career in the OHL where he had 269 points in 248 games in four seasons. However, that hasn’t really translated into much offensive success in the minors as he has just two career goals in the minors, neither of which came this season. Merkley made his NHL debut in 2021-22, getting into 39 games with the Sharks but he hasn’t had a chance to suit up at the top level this year which resulted in the trade request. He has 14 assists in 30 games with the Barracuda this season. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract with a $863K cap hit and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Nieto, meanwhile, is no stranger to Colorado as he spent parts of four seasons with them between 2016-17 and 2019-20. During that stretch, he was a serviceable provider of depth scoring, notching 34 goals and 47 assists in 251 games. The 30-year-old is producing at a similar clip this season, tallying eight goals and seven assists in 45 games with the Sharks while logging a career-high 15:39 per game. He won’t see that type of ice time in his second go-round with the Avs but with them in need of reliable options in the bottom six, Nieto should still be called upon to play an important depth role. He’s also in the final year of his contract with a $850K cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Kaut was also a first-round pick in the 2018 draft, going 16th overall to the Avalanche. However, while he impressed in the minors as an 18-year-old and earned an NHL stint at 19, he hasn’t had much success at the top level. So far, he has played in just 47 career NHL contests, 27 of which have come this season where he has just a goal and two assists to his credit while averaging 9:08 per night. Kaut has also played in ten AHL games this season where he has five goals and three helpers and is currently in the minors having been sent down last week. The 23-year-old is also in the final year of his entry-level deal, one that carries an AAV of $863K. He should get an opportunity to see some regular minutes for San Jose down the stretch in the hopes of him developing into a regular in the bottom six down the road.
MacDonald came up as a defenseman but has logged a lot of action on the wing this season with Colorado searching for bottom-six options as they’ve dealt with injuries all year long. The 29-year-old has suited up 33 times so far in 2022-23, picking up a pair of assists along with 29 hits. He has made 74 appearances with the Avs over the last three seasons, comprising the bulk of his NHL action (aside from a two-game stint with Florida in 2018). MacDonald is in the first year of a two-year, two-way contract that pays the minimum salary in the NHL (a $762,500 AAV) and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He’s likely to play a similar depth role with the Sharks, filling in at both positions when necessary.
Cap space is limited for the Avalanche and it’s worth noting that they are adding a little less than $100K on their books with this swap. However, they get a more proven forward in Nieto that should bolster their bottom six and an interesting wild card in Merkley. If he’s able to develop into a regular defender down the road, this will be a nice pickup for GM Chris MacFarland. If it doesn’t pan out, all it will cost them is a couple of depth options so it’s a low-risk move that could carry a fair bit of upside as they look to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Central Division.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Schultz, Bortuzzo, Kapanen
The Kraken have been without Justin Schultz for the last week and it appears they’ll be missing him a little longer as team reporter Bob Condor mentions that the defenseman is now listed as being out week to week. Schultz has done well in his first season with Seattle, notching 24 points in 42 games so far, already surpassing his point total from a year ago in 32 fewer contests. With the All-Star break upcoming, it appears the earliest he’ll be able to return is February 5th. For the time being, the team is keeping Schultz on the active roster. If they need to open up a roster spot, they’ll be able to place him on injured reserve retroactively to the date of injury which means he could be activated at any time.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo could return at some point on their current road trip, relays NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last two-and-a-half weeks with a lower-body injury sustained against Montreal. Bortuzzo doesn’t produce much offensively – he has just one point in 30 games this season – but is still a serviceable stay-at-home option on their third pairing. Louis has an open roster spot at the moment so whenever he is eligible to be activated, they won’t need to make room for him.
- Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen returned to practice today in a non-contact jersey, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He has been out for the last week with an undisclosed injury and while the 26-year-old declined to go into specifics, he did call it “something that I didn’t expect to turn into something bigger”. Kapanen had been scuffling a bit offensively before the injury, notching just a single goal in his last 19 games but he still has 17 points in 35 appearances this season despite logging less than 12 minutes a night.